CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Sacramento, California Susie Lange (916) 657-3027 REL#94-15 Jan Agee FAX (916) 657-5101 EMBARGOED UNTI 03/09/94, A.M. STATEWIDE STUDENT ASSESSMENT RESULTS RELEASED Sacramento--Acting State Superintendent of Public Instruction William D. Dawson today released the first results of the new statewide California Learning Assessment System (CLAS). He said, "These results reflect a completely new benchmarking of the academic performance we expect from California public school students. We now require students to demonstrate their learning in much more meaningful ways than only responding to multiple-choice questions." The California Department of Education administered its first CLAS performance assessments in the spring of 1993 to one million California public school students. Students in grades 4, 8, and 10 were assessed in reading, writing, and mathematics. "Achievement is now being measured against standards of performance, instead of comparing students to each other or some average," Dawson said. "These standards have intentionally been set very high." Results for all grade levels and subject areas tested are reported for each school, school district, and for the state. The CLAS results are reported as the percentage of students producing work at each of six levels of performance (see Table 1 on page 4 of this release and Attachment A). Dawson continued, "Because we no longer have a single statewide average score, these results cannot be reported merely with a single number. In fact, there are 18 reported results at each grade level (3 subjects and 6 performance levels)." Jere Jacobs, Assistant Vice President for the Pacific Telesis Group and a member of the Education Task Force of the California Business Roundtable, gave strong support for the CLAS reporting system. "The exciting thing about the new CLAS is that it is based on standards of performance which provide us with a much improved language for communication about student achievement. Business leaders, teachers, parents and students can discuss the kinds of skills that are important on the job, and in preparing for further education and life. "With CLAS, we're not talking about one student being higher or lower than another; even the better student may be performing much lower than he or she should be, or needs to be. We are focusing on standards--very high standards--that all students can work toward, standards that will be world class and will hold for many years to come," Jacobs added. First-year results show students at all grades achieving at higher levels of performance for writing than for reading or mathematics. Far greater percentages of students perform at levels of 4, 5, or 6 in writing than in mathematics. While reading performance is below writing, it also far outpaced math achievement. "The big difference in student performance on the writing and mathematics assessments is not surprising, though disappointing," Dawson said. "We are at the beginning of a new era for assessment and student performance still has a long way to go in all subject areas." Dawson addressed the disparity between math and writing scores. He explained, "The CLAS results confirm the findings of previous research studies showing the positive impact of California's writing assessment on writing instruction and on student learning. The writing assessment became more performance based back in 1987 as part of the previous California Assessment Program (CAP). We would expect that, as students gain more experience in writing, in applying their knowledge to real-life problems, and in explaining their work, future results will show substantial improvement in all subject areas. Because of the differences between CLAS and CAP, in test formats and methods for scoring and reporting, comparisons cannot be made with the old system." The 1993 English-language arts test had three sections--reading, group work, and writing. Each section took approximately one class period to complete. For the first section, students responded independently to a reading passage; for the second, they worked in small collaborative groups to clarify their thoughts and prepare to write; and for the third, they responded independently to a writing task. The group work was not scored. The mathematics assessment required about one class period to complete. Students were given two open-ended problems and a series of enhanced multiple-choice questions (see Attachment B for sample questions). Historically, California students have shown better performance in math than in other subjects tested by CAP and by assessments such as the Scholastic Achievement Test. Recent results on international assessments show a different trend. "On two 1992 international comparisons, the math scores of Americans were near the bottom of the scale, while reading scores were higher. The CLAS results mirror these findings and send a challenging message to teachers and students throughout California," Dawson said. PERFORMANCE STANDARDS Dawson said, "California is leading the nation in creating performance standards for assessment. The application of statewide performance standards will be enormously helpful to parents when individual student results become available in 1995 for the first time. A score of six will mean the same whether a student lives in Los Angeles or Eureka, while a grade of A does not necessarily mean the same thing from school to school." Approved by the State Board of Education, the performance standards provide the same criteria for measuring the quality of student work throughout the state. Business leaders, parents, educators, testing experts, school board members and state officials-- also representing California's geographic, cultural and ethnic diversity--worked together last summer and fall to write descriptions for the levels of performance used to report the 1993 results. The 1993 CLAS reports also compare each school and district to 100 schools and districts at the same grade level with the same student population characteristics. Factors used to determine comparable schools are socio-economic levels, student mobility, the percentage of students with limited English proficiency, and the percentage of students receiving assistance through Aid to Families With Dependent Children. SCORING PROCESS CLAS followed a stringent scoring process to ensure reliable results. Experienced teachers were selected to score the students' work at 34 regional sites. The scoring guides were produced and tested for accuracy by the assessment development teams in each subject tested. Teacher scorers were specially trained and allowed to score only after they demonstrated that they could accurately and consistently apply the guides. The scoring process was monitored with checks and double checks to make sure the results remained accurate and reliable. "Two thousand teachers have been involved in scoring students' work, and this scoring process can be one of the most powerful staff development activities available to teachers. The scoring process itself will shape effective teaching practices in the future because it helps teachers to understand better how their colleagues have enabled students to perform at high levels," Dawson continued. Jacobs agreed, "This program has the power to change instruction in the classroom--and we have seen it happen. The scoring sessions provide opportunities for teachers to get together in a professional setting and discuss what they have seen, to review outstanding work from a wide variety of students around the state, and to identify how they can change their own teaching to help students improve their performances. Dawson affirmed the importance of CLAS for improving curriculum, instruction, and student learning. He concluded, "CLAS represents an enormous change in the way we are assessing students and a massive challenge to carry out in a state as huge and diverse as California, but the payoff can be extraordinary." FULL IMPLEMENTATION CLAS was established by law through Senate Bill 662 in 1991. When fully developed, CLAS will have two major components. The first is the annual assessments in reading, writing, and mathematics at grades 4, 8, and 10; and history-social science and science at grades 5, 8, and 10. Reading, writing, and mathematics assessments were introduced in 1993. Science and history-social science assessments are scheduled to begin at grade 5 in 1994, with grades 8 and 10 to follow. A Spanish version of CLAS is being developed for grade 4 to assess limited-English-proficient students, and it will be field tested beginning this year. The second component will be a portfolio type of assessment. This part of CLAS, when developed, will provide an in-depth look at the quality and range of a student's work, expanding on the information gathered through the annual assessments. Moreover, it will provide the information that teachers and students need to improve during the year and will help students learn to evaluate their own work--one of the most important goals of our education system. The 1994 CLAS test will be given in April and May and the 1994 tests will provide, for the first time, individual student results for reading, writing, and math at grades 4 and 8. For more information, contact the CLAS office at (916) 657-3011. ##### (NOTE: AT THIS POINT IN THE PRESS RELEASE IS A TABLE OF SCORES WHICH WILL NOT SAVE AS TEXT ONLY FILE. YOU CAN CHECK THE WORD-FOR-MAC DOCUMENT IN THIS LIBRARY WHICH HAS ENTIRE NEWS RELEASE INCLUDING TABLE AND DIAGRAMS.) Attachment A STATEWIDE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS FOR THE CALIFORNIA LEARNING ASSESSMENT SYSTEM Performance Levels (Brief) Reading Level 6 Student performances at this level demonstrate insight as readers consider a whole text. These readers are confident and willing to take risks as they explore the meaning of a text; are open to considering and developing new ideas about a text and use the text to check their understanding; explore complexities in depth; revise their interpretations; expand on the possible meanings of a text; and connect ideas developed in the reading experience to their own experiences and to the world at large. Level 5 Student performances at this level demonstrate perception and thoroughness in considering a whole text. These readers are confident and willing to take risks as they explore the meaning of a text; consider new ideas about a text and use the text to check their understanding; explore complexities and expand on the possible meanings of a text; often revise their interpretations; and connect some ideas developed in the reading experience to their own experiences and to the world at large. Level 4 Student performances at this level demonstrate a thoughtful understanding of a whole text. These readers are confident in their interpretation, but have little willingness to take risks, tending to accept their initial understanding; usually connect their understanding of a text to their own experiences; when directed, use a text to check their understanding in a general or limited way; and identify some general significance or wider application of their understanding of a text. Level 3 Student performances at this level demonstrate a plausible, general understanding of a whole text. These readers make superficial connections with or among the parts of a text or not at all; are safe readers, unwilling to take risks, with little tolerance for difficulties in a text; rarely question a text, but when they do, the questions are likely to be simple or superficial; do not revise their first interpretation of a text or explore other possibilities of meaning. Level 2 Student performances at this level demonstrate a superficial understanding of a text. These readers may not see a text as a whole, tending to focus only on portions of a text; occasionally recognize ideas without connecting them; seldom ask questions of a text or offer meaningful evaluations of what they have read; and may not read a complete text. Level 1 Student performances at this level demonstrate an understanding of only an individual word, phrase, or title in a text. These readers do not demonstrate any understanding of the ideas or experiences offered or developed. Reading at this level is an act of recognizing a word or phrase rather than a process of constructing coherent meaning. Performance Levels (Brief) Writing Level 6 Student performances at this level respond creatively and effectively to the demands of a writing assignment. The writing is confident, purposeful, coherent and clearly focused, conveying the writer's knowledge, values, insights, and clarity of thought. The writing is skillfully adapted to its audience, purpose, and subject. It establishes an appropriate tone and uses language that is clear, distinct, varied, and precise. Writers at this level support their ideas with appropriate reasons and well-chosen examples, skillfully using a variety of sentence structures and the conventions of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spellingÑcommitting few if any errors. Level 5 Student performances at this level respond well to the demands of a writing assignment. The writing is purposeful, coherent, and focused, clearly communicating the writer's knowledge, values, and thoughts. The writing is adapted to its audience, purpose, and subject. It establishes an appropriate tone and uses effective language to support its ideas with relevant reasons and examples. The writing employs a variety of sentence structures, and exhibits good control of the conventions of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spellingÑwith few errors. Level 4 Student performances at this level respond to the demands of a writing assignment, generally communicating the writer's knowledge, values, and clarity of thought. The writing is appropriately adapted to its audience, purpose, and subject. It is coherent, adequately organized and developed, and supported by reasons and examples. The writing uses suitable language and employs some variety of sentence structure. Although there may be occasional errors, the writing reflects a fundamental control of the conventions of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Level 3 Student performances at this level respond inconsistently to the demands of a writing assignment, usually addressing all parts of the task, but having difficulty communicating the writer's knowledge and values. The writing may contain some insights, but also demonstrates confused, superficial, or illogical thinking. The writing is often limited in development, and contains predictable vocabulary with some inappropriate choices of words. It typically employs simple, repetitive sentence structures, and includes noticeable errors in the use of the conventions of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Level 2 Student performances at this level only partially meet the demands of a writing assignment. The work is seriously limited in communicating the writer's knowledge and values, and may address all or parts of a writing task, but with lapses in coherence. The writing is typically brief, disorganized, and undeveloped, or may be vague and difficult to understand. It exhibits frequent errors in the use of the conventions of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Level 1 Student performances at this level do not meet the demands of a writing assignment. The work is extremely limited in communicating the writer's knowledge and values, and it exhibits little or no concept of an audience. The writing is brief, incoherent, disorganized, and undeveloped and exhibits only a rudimentary facility in using language. It includes many errors in the use of the conventions of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Performance Levels Mathematics Level 6 Student work demonstrates rigorous mathematical thinking and in- depth understanding of essential mathematical ideas. Responses meet and often exceed expectations; they are consistently correct and complete, and use appropriate representations (for example, words, diagrams, graphs, pictures). Student work extends concepts or produces related conjectures. Generalizations and connections are supported by precise logical arguments using multiple or unique approaches and appropriate mathematical tools and techniques. Level 5 Student work demonstrates solid mathematical thinking and full understanding of mathematical ideas. Responses fully meet expectations; they are usually correct and complete, and use appropriate representations (for example, words, diagrams, graphs, pictures), although sometimes containing minor flaws. Some of the student work contains generalizations and connections supported by effective arguments using multiple or unique approaches and appropriate mathematical tools and techniques. Level 4 Student work demonstrates substantial mathematical thinking and understanding of essential mathematical ideas, including appropriate representations (for example, words, diagrams, graphs, pictures). Responses are usually correct although the work may contain flaws. Student work exhibits appropriate use of mathematical tools and techniques. Level 3 Student work demonstrates partial mathematical thinking and understanding of mathematical ideas. Some responses are correct; however, gaps in conceptual understanding are evident and representations (for example, words, diagrams, graphs, pictures) need elaboration. There is an acceptable use of tools and techniques. Level 2 Student work demonstrates limited mathematical thinking and understanding of mathematical ideas. While responses are sometimes correct, student work often falls short of providing workable solutions. Tools and techniques are rarely used or are used inappropriately. Level 1 Student work demonstrates little or no mathematical thinking and understanding of mathematical ideas. Responses show little or no progress toward accomplishing mathematical tasks. There is little correct or appropriate use of tools, techniques, or representations. Attachment B: (NOTE this includes all text, but not diagrams.) Sample Questions from the 1993 CLAS Assessments ________________________________________________________ Mathematics Grade 10 ÒPredicting the DifferenceÓ A game involves two cubes with sides numbered from 1 through 6. After throwing the two cubes, the smaller number is subtracted from the larger number to find the difference. If a player throws the cubes many times, what difference will probably occur most often? Provide a diagram and written explanation that you could use to explain to a friend. Mathematics Grade 8 ÒDouble the Dotted Line SegmentÓ Part I For each of the figures shown, draw a new enlarged figure that has the same shape. The dotted line segment in each new figure should be double the length of the dotted line segment in the original figure. Part 2 Describe mathematically how the pairs of old and new figures are the same and how they are different. Mathematics Grade 4 ÒThe Vending MachineÓ Maria wants to buy a 75-cent snack from a vending machine. The machine takes only nickels, dimes, and quarters. Maria has 7 nickels, 5 dimes, and 2 quarters. Part 1 Show all of the different ways she could pay for the snack. You may use words, diagrams, or charts. Part 2 Which of your ways uses the fewest number of coins? Explain why this is true. Writing Grade 4 Getting Ready to Write The student council has asked students for ideas that will improve lunch time at your school. You have been asked to write a letter to the student council giving ideas about how to improve lunch time so that it is more organized and fun. Think about what suggestions you can give to the student council and why they are good suggestions. To help you write your letter, use the space below to list, cluster, or sketch the important details. Time to Write Write a letter to the student council giving ideas about how to improve lunch time at your school. Describe lunch time and give suggestions for ways to improve lunch time so that it is more organized and fun for students. Give reasons why you think your ideas will work. Do your best to convince the student council that your suggestions are good ones. Reading Grade 8 Students were asked to respond to questions based on a reading passage entitled ÒMy Friend, Albert EinsteinÓ by Banesh Hoffman. HoffmanÕs essay is a collection of personal anecdotes which reveal Einstein as both a scientist and as a unique personality. The student responses to all of the questions were then evaluated to determine the reading score. Included here are two short passages from the 2,500 word reading test and three of the questions asked of students on the reading assessment. Excerpted from: My Friend, Albert Einstein by Banesh Hoffman I was in awe of Einstein, and hesitated before approaching him about some ideas I had been working on. When I finally knocked on his door, a gentle voice said, ÒComeÓ with a rising inflection that made the single word both a welcome and a question. I entered his office and found him seated at a table, calculating and smoking his pipe. Dressed in ill-fitting clothes, his hair characteristically awry, he smiled a warm welcome. His utter naturalness at once set me at ease. As I began to explain my ideas, he asked me to write the equations on the blackboard so he could see how they developed. Then came the staggeringÑand altogether endearingÑrequest: ÒPlease go slowly. I do not understand things quickly.Ó This from Einstein! He said it gently, and I laughed. From then on, all vestiges of fear were gone... The intensity and depth of his concentration were fantastic. When battling a recalcitrant problem, he worried it as an animal worries its prey. Often, when we found ourselves up against a seemingly insuperable difficulty, he would stand up, put his pipe on the table, and say in his quaint English, ÒI will a little tinkÓ (he could not pronounce the ÒthÓ). Then he would pace up and down, twirling a lock of his long graying hair around his forefinger. A dreamy, faraway and yet inward look would come over his face. There was no appearance of concentration, no furrowing of the browÑonly a placid inner communion. The minutes would pass, and then suddenly Einstein would stop pacing as his face relaxed into a gentle smile. He had found the solution to the problem. Sometimes it was so simple that Infeld and I could have kicked ourselves for not having thought of it. But the magic had been performed invisibly in the depths of EinsteinÕs mind, by a process we could not fathom. Sample Reading Questions Think about Einstein the scientist and Einstein the person. Choose an example from the reading selection that shows how EinsteinÕs personal characteristics affected him as a scientist. Based on your reading, if you were going to talk to Einstein, what would you want to say to him or ask him? How did this reading selection change, add to, or reinforce your ideas about scientists in general, or about Albert Einstein specifically?